Pieces
by LunarEclipse360
Summary: He wanted to move on, he really did, but his heart refused to let her go. His heart was the reason for the memories, the reason why he couldn't let himself fully love the amazing woman in front of him.
1. Chapter 1

**Pieces**

_by: LunarEclipse360_

**A/N: this is my new Troyella story. It's a bit of an emotional ride, just to let you know. Hope you guys like it. There is also a trailer for it on my youtube channel so check that out if you have a chance.**

_Cast_

_Zac Efron: Troy Bolton_

_Vanessa Hudgens: Gabriella Montez_

_Kay Panabaker: Lacey Thomas age 12-15_

_Bethany Joy Galeotti: Lacey Thomas age 16-17_

Chapter 1

"_Troy!"_

Jolting out of his sleep, Troy Bolton shot into an upright position and darted his eyes around the room. Seeing nothing but the decorum of his bedroom, he sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. It had only been a dream. _No_, that wasn't a dream, that was a nightmare; a horrible nightmare that made him relive a time in his life that he wanted to forget. He hated when that memory crept back into his subconscious. Rising from his bed, he crossed over to his window and stared out into the night.

He knew he should have just gone back to sleep, or at least tried to, but the images of his nightmare were weighing too much on his mind. He closed his eyes and focused on blocking out the horrible memories. Never in his life did he want to forget a day in his life more than the one that changed it forever. His mind eventually drifted to a further time and day—a happier day than the one that haunted his dreams—and he smiled softly.

**Five Years Ago**

_What had he gotten himself into?_

Waves crashed against the shore, bringing a calming feeling over the anxiety he was currently suffering from. It had been a week since his parents dropped him off at his grandparents house on their way to Hawaii for their third honeymoon and he wished he had opted for the other option his parents gave him: going to sleep-a-way camp. At least at sleep-a-way camp, he would be having fun right about now. His grandparents—Victor and Sally Bolton—weren't much fun to be around. Sure, they lived in California and had a house right on the beach, but that was about it. They mostly kept to themselves, watching television for most of the day unless Mama Bolton decided to go to the store.

Pushing away from the railing, the twelve year old headed back inside and went to the room that was dubbed 'his' for the time being. He walked over to the calendar that he pinned to the wall and looked at the days he had left before his parents came back. _Three more weeks_. He groaned inwardly and wished the time could go by faster. Wanting to get out of the house, he slipped on his Vans and went into the living room to inform his grandparents.

"I'm going for a walk," he said as he headed for the sliding glass door leading to the back exit.

"Alright, sweetheart, just be careful," his grandmother said as she continued to crochet something, her eyes glancing at the television every five seconds.

He walked out, closing the door behind him, and made his way down to the sand. If it weren't for the beach, he would have went crazy a long time ago. He headed straight for the water, allowing the waves to wash over his clothed feet. He didn't really care if he got his sneakers wet; he had others. As he stood there, staring out across the water, he could hear the sound of a dog barking from not far away, but he really didn't pay any attention to it.

"Watch out!"

He turned his head, but had little time to react when a golden retriever pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. He tried with all his might to push the dog off of him, but it was too strong.

"Heel, girl!"

The large dog was pulled off of him and replaced by the sight of a brunette girl about his age standing over him, her eyes filled with concern. The brown hues swept over his body to make sure that there were no scratches and that nothing was bleeding.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes finally returning to his.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I am _so_ sorry about her. Here," she held out her hand, "let me help you up."

He took her hand and she pulled him to his feet to the best of her ability. Standing up straight, he began to dust the sand off of his clothes. She moved behind him and began getting what was on his back, knowing he wouldn't be able to reach it.

"Thanks."

She nodded and smiled. "It's the least I can do since Maisy is the reason you were on the ground in the first place." Her smile slipped. "I really am sorry about her."

He shook his head. "It's alright."

"She's a bit....hyperactive."

He chuckled. "Is that what you call it?"

"That's all I can think of calling it."

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm Troy," he said, holding out his hand.

"Lacey." She grasped his hand firmly. "I've never seen you around here before. Did you just move here?"

"Not exactly. My grandparents live right there." He pointed to the house behind them.

"Oh. Visiting them for the summer?"

He scratched the back of his neck out of habit and smiled sheepishly. "You could say that." She cocked her head to one side, confused. "My parents are on their third honeymoon and decided 'hey, since the grandparents are on the way, why don't we just drop you off'."

"And they didn't give you any other option?"

"They did. It was either this or summer camp and now that I think about it, I would have rather went to summer camp."

"They're not much fun are they?"

"Nope, not at all…and I can't believe I just told you that."

She giggled. "It's okay, I won't tell."

"Good. I do not need them thinking I don't love them, cause I do, they're just…boring."

"Well, since it was my dog that knocked you to the ground, I think maybe it would right if I showed you around town and let you get to know the place you going to be spending the next…"

"Three weeks."

"_Three weeks_ in."

"That would be nice."

She smiled before Maisy barked, bringing the attention of the preteens to her. Lacey scratched her head and turned back to Troy. "I should be getting home. She's probably hungry."

"Okay. Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Most likely," she said with a grin. "I know where you live so don't think for one second that I won't come knocking at your door."

Smirking, he chuckled. "I'll make sure to keep an eye out for you."

"Good. I'll see you around."

She grabbed Maisy's leash and began leading the big dog down the beach, glancing back at Troy who waved at her. She waved back before turning around and continuing her journey home. He watched her until he could no longer see her and went back to his grandparents house.

"How was your walk?" his grandmother asked, though she sounded like she knew something else.

"It was…nice."

"Uh-huh." She turned her head and looked at her grandson who still stood in the entrance way. "So who is she?"

"Who is who, grandma?"

"That girl you were talking to."

"Oh," he said with a blush, embarrassed that his grandmother had seen him talking to a girl. "That was Lacey."

"She's cute."

"Grandma," he whined.

"What? It's true."

He shook his head and walked to his room, closing the door behind him. He couldn't help but grin at his grandmother's words. It may have been embarrassing, but she was right. Lacey was cute and Troy had no problem admitting to it. Lying face up on his bed, he stared at the ceiling and imagined what the next three weeks would bring now that he had something—or rather someone—to take his mind off the time.

**Present Time**

His eyes opened slowly and he stared at his reflection in the glass. He could clearly see the lack of emotion in his azure eyes. They had been that way for over a year now and he doubted they would ever get life back in them. Sighing, he pushed away from the window and went back to his bed. He had a long day ahead of him.

Slipping under the covers, he laid his head on the pillow and stared at the far wall. For a solitary moment, he could see Lacey's face flash in front of him and his heart clenched in anguish. He missed her so much and it was killing him not having her near. Closing his eyes, he blocked out all thoughts of her and what she meant to him. As he slipped into a deep sleep, her imagery found its way back into his subconscious, putting a soft smile on his face.

-

-

"I'm leaving!" Troy called as he walked towards the front door. He knew his father wouldn't see him off, but his mother would.

Troy and his father, Jack Bolton, had grown apart in the past year, probably because Troy's depression pushed him into keeping to himself. His father had always been his mentor growing up, but after the day his life changed, he drifted further and further away from him. Troy hoped that one day he would be able to fix their broken relationship.

A smile reached his face when his mother appeared. She refused to be pushed away and he didn't fight to do so. His father allowed him to draw a distance between them, but his mother was the complete opposite.

"When are you guys coming back?" she asked when she reached him.

"After New Years."

She nodded. "Well, have fun then."

"I will." He opened the door just as his best friend honked the horn of his red Ford Focus. "I'm coming! Hold your horses, will ya!" he yelled as he started down the path.

"Troy." He stopped and turned to his mother. She sighed and walked up to him, placing her hand on his cheek. "I want you to do me a favor."

"Sure, what is it?" he asked, curiosity in his eyes.

"Promise me you won't think about her."

He looked away. "Mom…"

She brought his eyes back to hers, the green hues shining with determination. He had always loved his mother's eyes and sometimes wished he had inherited them instead of his father's light blue coloring.

"Promise me. I want you to have fun on this vacation. No brooding, no moping, none of that and I've already asked Chad to report back to me if you do. You haven't been yourself since it happened and I just want you to be happy for once."

He sighed. "Ma…"

"Please…for me."

He smiled and nodded. "For you."

She returned the gesture and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you."

Finally letting him go, she crossed her arms and watched him walk down the path to the awaiting car. Lucille Bolton always worried about her son. He had been slipping further and further away from her over the past year and she couldn't take it. She refused to imagine what would happen if she completely lost him to himself. When the red sedan pulled away, she sighed and walked back inside.

"So you ready for a week of fun?"

Troy turned towards the driver—his best friend since Pre-K, Chad Danforth—and nodded.

"Yep."

"Good. We are going to have some fun and you're gonna like it."

Troy chuckled before turning his attention to the dark skinned guy in the front seat.

"Hey, Zeke."

"Hey," he answered. "How are you holding up?"

"No, _no_. No talking about it," Chad said. "He isn't allowed to sulk on this trip. His mother told me to make sure he has a good time and to do that, talk about it is forbidden. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," the two boys said mockingly.

Chad glared in the rear view mirror before glaring at the boy next to him. "Ha, ha, very funny. But seriously, Troy, you haven't been the same since it happen and I'm tired of seeing you so down."

His smile flipped upside down at his friend's confession. He knew his friends were worried about him, it was a given by the way they always asked 'are you alright?' 'how are you holding up?' It was the same questions every day.

"You know…I gotta agree with him, Troy," Zeke said. "You really haven't been the same."

"What do you expect? I had my heart ripped out of my chest."

"But you can't keep shutting us out like that."

"Can we stop talking about it? I thought I wasn't allowed to sulk."

"You're not…" Chad answered.

"Then stop making me want to."

The conversation ended and Troy sat back in his seat, his eyes focused on the passing scenery. His thoughts were slowly filled with the horrible memories and soon, he couldn't help but slip back into his depression. Staring into the distance, the day that made the change in his life all the more real played in his head.

**A Year Ago**

_What had he done?_

"The Lord is my shepherd," the priest bellowed over the sound of the crashing rain, "I shall not want. He makes me lie in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake."

Sobs could silently be heard echoing over the downpour. None of the people that stood surrounding the Birchwood coffin cared about the rain. They only cared that someone close to them was no longer a part of the living.

"Even though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death," the priest continued, "I will not fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

_How could this have happened?_

He stood off to the side, watching from a far as the ceremony continued. His heart ached as it grieved for its other half. The rain soaked him through to the bone, but he didn't notice. His heart was numb as was his body. Nothing around him caught his attention except for the coffin straight ahead of him; the coffin that held his beloved.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." The priest walked to the coffin and placed his hand on it. "Father, Lord Almighty, please send your army of angels to make sure your daughter makes it safely to your heavenly gates to be received into your open arms where she will stay for all eternity."

_It wasn't supposed to be this way._

His blue eyes watched from underneath his wet chestnut hair as members of the immediate family moved to place roses on the coffin. A bouquet of white roses was placed in the center by the matriarch of the family; her shoulders shaking with heavy sobs. He could feel his heart breaking all over again. The woman turned, her dark brown eyes connecting with his soft blue ones. They both understood each other; both grieving the loss of someone they loved the most.

She was the first to break the gaze; her face burying into her husband's chest as she cried. He had never felt so alone in his life than he did at this moment in time. Everyone else had someone to lean on, but he had no one. The only one he was willing to let comfort him was lying, lifeless, inside that cloth-lined wooden box.

_She wasn't supposed to die._

As everyone began to disperse, the brown eyed woman turned back to him. She was silently questioning whether he was going to follow them. He stared at her, his hollow eyes showing nothing. Without giving her a straight, silent answer, he turned and walked away. He wasn't interested in being around everyone else as they shared stories of days past. He wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be reminded any further of the one he lost. He wanted this all to be a dream. He wanted to wake up the next morning and call her, like he did every morning, just to hear her voice and confirm that this was all just one bad dream. Something in his heart, however, told him that this was no dream and that there was no waking up from it.

She was gone…and he was alone.

He stopped walking when he came to a mausoleum. He stared at the elegant structure and wondered who was buried inside. Was it a single person? Was it two people? Maybe two people that had lived all their lives together and wanted to be buried side by side so that they would never have to be without the other even in death. Leaning against the wall of the small building, he looked up to the sky and let the rain wash over him. He slid into a sitting position on the ground and brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

_Why did God hate him so much?_

From afar, you couldn't tell if he was crying or if it were just the rain, but if one looked up close, you could see his bloodshot eyes that made the hues of blue stand out more than usual. Tears mixed in with rain slid down his face as he stared into the distance.

She had been his everything. She was his earth, his sky, his ocean…_his world_. His entire life had been built around her, and now he was unsure of it all. The future that they planned, the life that they wanted had become obsolete. There was no future for them. She left him with no possibility of returning. Death wasn't something you could return from.

A violent chill came over him and he knew if he stayed out here any longer, he would catch his death. But maybe that's what he wanted. Maybe he wanted to die. At least that way he could be with her forever. At least if he died, he wouldn't have to spend his life without her. He shook his head, no. She wouldn't want him to end his life this way. She wouldn't want him to deliberately make himself sick. If it was meant to be, then he would die from this cold he knew he was slowly coming down with. If not, then he would live his life up until the time that fate thought it was his turn.

Sighing, he stood up and made his way back to her gravesite.

He stared at the coffin a few feet in front of him. They hadn't buried her yet; most likely waiting for the rain to stop. It took him two, long strides to reach the box that held his beloved inside and he rested his hand against it.

He took a deep breath. "I love you, Lacey."

Without another word, he walked away and headed towards the exit where his car waited patiently for him. His mind was filled with questions, questions as to what had he done to deserve this. But none made itself more prominent than the one that he had asked himself since the day it all happened.

_Why couldn't he save her?_

**Present Time**

"Troy!" Snapping out of his reverie, he turned towards his best friend. "We're here."

He looked out the window and found that, sure enough, they were outside the Angel Fire Resort—the place they were to stay at for the next week. Had he really zoned out for the entire three hour ride it took to get from Albuquerque to Angel Fire? He didn't even realize it. Troy climbed out of the car and went to the back to fetch his bag. Being the last to exit the car, it was his duty to close the trunk.

Glancing around, he noted that there were a fair amount of people staying at the resort. He followed his friends inside the building and up to the front desk where Chad checked them in. He took in the sight of the lobby, admiring the beauty and simplicity of it. As he continued to look around, his eyes caught sight of a brunette sitting by herself, a book in hand. His head tilted slightly as the feeling of familiarity swept through him. He felt like he knew her from somewhere. He was certain that he had seen her before.

"Yo, Troy!" He turned back to his friends. "You coming?"

He nodded and followed behind them, glancing back every few seconds to see if he could jog his memory. When he couldn't place it, he gave up and continued to tailgate his friends to the elevator.

"So what are we doing first?" Zeke asked as they waited for the lift to reach their floor.

Chad shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I'm taking a nap. I'm exhausted."

Troy grinned. "You act like you've been driving for hours."

"I didn't see you doing any of the driving."

"Dude, it took three hours to get here."

"So? It was still all me."

"Fine, when we go home, Zeke and I will drive. Does that please you?"

"Yes, yes it does."

They all chuckled as the elevator doors opened onto their floor. Trudging down the hallway, they finally came to their shared hotel room and Chad opened the door, allowing his two friends in before himself. The second that the door was closed behind them, Chad went straight for the bedroom. Zeke and Troy shared a look and shook their heads. Troy went straight for the couch, turning on the television after taking a seat. He wasn't actually paying attention to it, though, his mind was too focused on the brunette he'd seen in the lobby.

_Why did she look so familiar?_

"You okay?"

Troy swung his head around and looked at Zeke, who stood over him, worry written on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just…thinking."

"About Lacey?" he asked as he sat next to him.

"Actually, no."

"Oh? Then who?"

"There was the girl that was in the lobby when we came in and…she looked sorta familiar."

"What did she look like?"

"Well, she was a brunette."

Zeke nodded. "And?"

"And that's all I could clearly see. She was too far away for me to really get a good look at her."

"Then how do you know she looked familiar to you?"

He shrugged and realized Zeke was right. How could say that she looked familiar when he hadn't even gotten a good look at her? He smiled and turned to his best friend.

"You're right. She couldn't possibly look like someone I know if I don't really know what she looks like. Thanks, Zeke."

"No problem. Well, I'm going to go downstairs and get something to eat."

"Bring me back a cheeseburger!" Chad yelled from the other room.

Troy shook his head while Zeke chuckled. Both had thought that their bushy-haired friend had succumbed to sleep. If he had, then he must have sensed that food was being talked about and woke up.

"Will do!" He turned to Troy. "You want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good."

He nodded and got up, grabbing a spare key card on his way out. Troy turned back to the television, though, once again, he found himself not actually watching it. His mind kept wandering back to the brunette. It was impossible for him to know that she looked familiar if he didn't really know what she looked like, so why couldn't he let it go? Sighing, he leaned his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes, hoping to clear his mind of everything.

**A/N: now if some of you reads _runningequalslife_'s fanfictions, you'd know that this premise seems similiar to her newest story, Fourteen Minutes, believe me, I know. I was working on this when she first published it, but I assure you that they are different stories. I don't plagerize. Story ideas are regurgatated all the time and this is idea is one of them. Besides, my stories can never be as amazing as hers.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Pieces**

_by: LunarEclipse360_

**A/N: I must have rewritten this chapter a hundred times already. I couldn't get it the way I wanted it and that's why it's not as long as the previous chapter.**

_Cast_

_Zac Efron: Troy Bolton_

_Vanessa Hudgens: Gabriella Montez_

_Kay Panabaker: Lacey Thomas age 12-15_

_Bethany Joy Galeotti: Lacey Thomas age 16-17_

Chapter 2

He couldn't stop thinking about her.

Sitting in the small café within the hotel, Troy stared off into space as his thoughts all brought him back to Lacey. He didn't want to think about her, but his heart wouldn't stop reminding him of the times they shared together and the things he lost when she died. He hated that it had been a little bit over a year since the accident and he still couldn't stop thinking of her. He wanted so bad to just forget, but his heart refused to move on.

Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a small 2x3 picture of him and Lacey at their Junior Prom, seven months before the accident that claimed her life. He didn't know why he kept the picture since it was a constant reminder that she wasn't there. Somehow, he couldn't bear to part with it. It may have drove a knife through his heart each time he looked at it, but the sentimental value was too high for him to get rid of it.

His eyes glanced over the picture, resting on her smiling face staring back at him. He took in the familiar features that he had come to know and love: her light brown hair, those pink lips, her rosy cheeks, her fair skin and those amazing milk chocolate eyes he loved to get lost in. She had been beautiful. Even when she was going through that awkward stage, she was stunning. Every time he looked upon her, he asked himself how did he deserve someone so breathtaking. He never got an answer. All he knew was that she was his and he was grateful for her.

A sharp pain shot through his heart when he remembered that, never again, would he be able to stare at this beauty beyond a picture. Never again would he be able to run his hands through her hair, or kiss her lips…or stare into her beautiful eyes. She was now somewhere else, somewhere better…somewhere without him.

Sighing, he placed the picture back into his back pocket and stood to leave. The second he turned around, he smashed into someone and knocked the person to the floor.

"Shit. I am so sorry."

He looked down and noticed it was a female that he had pushed to the ground. She shook her head and lifted her head.

"It's fine."

Shock ran through his body when he realized it was the girl from the lobby. How did he know? He wasn't quite sure. He just knew it was her. Maybe it was the similar purple vest with matching boots that confirmed it. Or maybe it was the fact that he had gotten a good look at her face without realizing it. Whatever the reason was, he just knew this was the girl.

When he recovered from his shock, he noticed that she was no longer in front of him. He looked around for her, but found no sign of the mysterious brunette that he had run into. He cursed inwardly at his delayed reaction before heading back to his hotel room.

As he rode the elevator to the tenth floor, his train of thought had taken a complete one-eighty. Instead of thinking of Lacey, he was thinking of the girl he ran into. Who was she? Where did he know her from? The elevator dinged, letting him know that this was his floor and he walked—almost mechanically—to the door of the shared hotel room.

Walking through the door, he found it empty. He didn't wonder where his friends were cause he already knew. They had gushed about hitting the slopes earlier that morning so that was probably where they were. Troy had passed up on the opportunity. He no longer found snowboarding to be enjoyable. Actually, there were a lot of things he couldn't enjoy anymore. Snowboarding, basketball—just to name a few. Sure, he still participated in them, but he couldn't appreciate them like he once could.

He crossed over to the doorway that led to the bedroom and made himself comfortable on the bed he claimed as his own. His thoughts trailed back to the brunette and he wondered if he would ever see her again. Rolling onto his back, he stared at the ceiling for a while until his eyes began to drop and he drifted off to sleep.

-

-

"Wake up!"

His eyes snapped open and he found Chad standing over him, a little too close might he add.

"What the…?"

"Get up, we're going boarding."

He sighed and sat up. "I told you, I don't want to."

"And _I'm_ telling you, you're going to."

"Why?"

"Because you need to stop moping around and have some fun. That's what we came here to do; have fun."

"Chad…"

"No, don't even try to worm your way out of this. Now get your butt up and come on."

Shaking his head, he got out of bed and grabbed his coat, following Chad out of the room. Zeke stood upon their arrival and started towards the door. The time it took to get down to the slopes was spent in silence. Why? He wasn't quite sure. He just knew that no one talked. When they reached their destination, Chad shoved a snowboard into his arms and forced him to follow.

Troy did what he was told. He snowboarded with his friends, like he came to do, but he still wished he could have been back in the hotel room, sleeping. After an hour, Chad and Zeke finally relented to his cries of wanting to take a break and they headed inside to find some food.

"So, Troy," Zeke started, "did you see that girl again?"

"What girl?" Chad asked.

"Actually I did."

"What girl?"

"Really? When?" Zeke leaned partially across the table, truly interested.

"What girl?"

"Earlier. I was at the Coffee Shop drinking a hot chocolate and when I stood up to leave, I knocked right into her, pushing her to the ground."

"What, the _fuck_, are you two talking about?!" Chad yelled, earning him glares from the people around them.

"Troy saw this girl the day we arrived and he said he thought he knew her from somewhere. Of course, that was impossible since he didn't get a good look at her."

"But this time, I did get a good look at her and I was right, I do know her from somewhere."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"Well, did you at least get her name?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I kinda spaced out for a second and she was gone by time I snapped out of it."

"That sucks."

Troy nodded just as the waiter walked over to take their order. As they waited for their food, the conversation continued.

"So what did she look like?" Chad asked.

"Well…she had dark brown hair—almost black—olive skin, a heart shaped face, dark eyes."

"So she's beautiful," Zeke stated.

Troy thought about it for a second, remembering how the girl looked in front of him, before nodding. "Yeah, you could say that."

"More beautiful than Lacey?" Chad asked and Zeke sent a glare his way.

"How, the hell, do you tell us not to talk about her and, yet, here you are bringing her up?"

"_Sorry_ it just slipped out."

"It's fine, Chad," Troy said with a sad smile. Was the girl more beautiful than Lacey? It could have been possible, but he wasn't quite certain. He hadn't exactly looked at her for more than five seconds. "I really don't know. I only caught a small glimpse of her."

"You just described what she looks like."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I know if she's more beautiful than Lacey."

"Yes, you do."

"Dude, just…drop it, okay?"

Chad held up his hands in defense. "Fine."

"Moving on…" Zeke said. "How many more days do we have left?"

"Uh…five."

"Man, it feels like we just got here," Troy said, his eyes glancing around the restaurant.

"Yeah. Why didn't we just take off for the entire vacation? I mean, we don't start school until the end of January."

"Because some of us have lives and jobs to get back to," Zeke answered.

"You? A job? Yeah, I guess catering to that high maintenance girlfriend of yours is a job."

Zeke glared and Troy laughed, earning him an equally icy glare. "_You_ don't laugh."

"What? It's funny."

"Come on, Zeke, even you have to admit that being Sharpay's boyfriend is a job."

Zeke sighed and nodded, admitting the truth. "Yeah, I guess it is." He suddenly sent them a stern look. "That is never to be repeated to her."

"You're secret is safe with us."

Their food came minutes later and they dug in. Troy didn't realize he was hungry until he found there was no food left on his plate. When he looked up, Chad was still stuffing his face and Zeke was eating slowly, once in a while glancing over at Chad to make sure he didn't choke on his food. Troy shook his head at the barbaric actions of his best friend and scanned the restaurant. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of the brunette from before.

"Guys, there she is."

Zeke looked over to where Troy was looking and Chad stopped shoving food in his mouth long enough to take a glance.

"Wow, she is cute," Zeke commented. "Why don't you go over and ask her name?"

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because it will seem too weird. I mean, what am I gonna say; hi, we met earlier but I kinda knocked you to the ground and I was just wondering what your name is? Hell no."

"You might as well. Who knows if you'll ever see her again."

"I'd still rather not. Another time. Besides, she's eating with her friend."

"Her friend's kinda cute, too," Chad said, checking out the girl that sat across from the mysterious brunette.

"Down boy," Troy joked.

"I'm just looking. Geez."

Rolling his eyes, Chad went back to eating. Both Troy and Zeke snickered at their friend's eating habits. No one in the world ate like Chad Danforth, no one. If there was, they had yet to meet him. Zeke, eventually, began to finish his own food and Troy glanced over at the brunette. He still couldn't place her to a point in his life where he'd seen her from. He suddenly wished he would have taken his friends' advice and just went over to ask her name.

"So," Chad said as he sat back in his seat, his plate completely empty. "You guys wanna hit the slopes again and burn off this food?"

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Troy said with a shrug.

"Check, please," Chad said as the waiter walked by.

They each paid for their own food before standing and heading towards the exit. Troy couldn't help but glance in the direction of the brunette. He still was curious to know who she was. Shaking the thought from his head, he continued to follow his friends outside.

-

-

"What a day!" Chad yelled as they walked through the door of the hotel room.

"Yeah. It was fun though, wasn't it?" Zeke asked as he crashed on the couch.

"Yeah, except for the part where I fell and busted my ass."

"That was funny," Troy said, earning him a glare.

"It was not."

"It was too and you know it."

"Okay, so it was kinda funny.

Troy chuckled and headed for the bedroom. He knew his friends would be up for a few more hours, but all he wanted to do was sleep. Closing the door, he didn't bother turning on the light, instead, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the room. He stripped down to his boxers and threw his clothes in the corner. Putting on his pajamas, he threw the covers back and made himself comfortable within the sheets.

As he watched the shadows play across the ceiling, his thoughts moved from one thing to another; from Lacey to the mystery girl. Finally, his mind settled on Lacey and he fell asleep with dreams of her invading his subconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

**Pieces**

_by: LunarEclipse360_

**A/N: this chapter is dedicated to Arlyn, the co-adminstrator of Z.A.C.: A Zac Addicted Community, because I promise her I would update by this weekend. ^_^**

_Cast_

_Zac Efron: Troy Bolton_

_Vanessa Hudgens: Gabriella Montez_

_Kay Panabaker: Lacey Thomas age 12-15_

_Bethany Joy Galeotti: Lacey Thomas age 16-17_

Chapter 3

Escaping his friends wasn't easy. He had to plan it out exactly according to their morning routines. Troy made sure to rise early and get dressed quietly. He didn't want them to wake up and discover what he was doing. He knew Chad would sleep a little later than Zeke so he waited until he heard him resign to the bathroom before making his escape. He knew they would be wondering where he had gone once they were both awake enough to think, but he wasn't worried about that right now. He wanted some time to himself so he could explore the grounds surrounding the ski lodge.

The area was huge and the hotel wasn't the only means of sleeping space available. They had apartments and rental homes closer to the slope, but not in view of the hotel. He guessed they were for larger groups of people. As he passed by the ice rink, he noticed the children playing and remembered a time not long ago when he and Lacey had gone ice skating. It was the most embarrassing time of his life, but it was also the best.

**Three years ago**

"Are you seriously telling me you've never been ice skating?" Lacey questioned as they walked hand in hand towards the rink.

"I am serious. I've never been and I've never learned."

"Well, today is your lucky day cause _I_ am going to teach you."

"You can't be that good at it."

"No, I'm not as good as a figure skater, but I can hold my own on two blades."

"Wait. What?" He stopped, his hand dropping from hers.

"What?"

"Did you say 'two blades'?"

"Yeah."

"As in, those will be the only things holding me up?"

"Uh-huh."

"No. No way."

"Why not?"

"I'm going to bust my ass, that's why."

"Troy." She took his hand. "You'll be fine, I promise."

"I'm holding you to that," he said with a sigh.

She smiled and pulled him in the direction of the rink. After getting their skates and putting them on, they walked towards the ice; Troy wobbling the whole way. Lacey couldn't help but laugh. She thought he was the cutest thing in the world. She stepped out onto the ice and skated effortlessly to the middle, turning to look at him. He cautiously put one foot onto the frozen liquid before putting the other and used the wall to keep himself up.

"Lace, I have a bad feeling about this."

She giggled and skated towards him, coming to a complete stop in front of him. "There's nothing to be afraid about." She took his hand and led him away from the wall.

He wobbled a few times before his balance kicked in and straightened him out. He grinned when he realized he was skating without falling. She smiled back and they continued to skate around the length of the rink, their hands never parting.

After a while, Troy felt more comfortable with skating and told her that he could go off on his own.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Alright. Just be careful."

"I'll be fine." He kissed her cheek before she let go of his hand, allowing him to skate off by himself.

He was fine for the first few times around the rink, but as his confidence grew, so did his ego. His feet picked up speed and he skated faster. Unfortunately, he had forgotten how to ask her to stop and he ended up running straight into the wall.

"Troy!" Lacey went up to him, her skates stopping just before she reached him and she kneeled down next to him. "Troy, are you okay?"

He sat up. "No. I think I broke my nose."

She pulled out a napkin and handed it to him. "Here."

He took it gratefully and placed it in his bloody nostril. A few of the employees came and helped him off the ice before tending to his broken nose. They gave him an ice pack to hold against his swollen nose and he sat off to the side, nursing it. Lacey appeared moments later and sat down next to him.

"How does it feel?"

"Numb."

She sighed. "Why were you going that fast?"

He shrugged. "My ego got the best of me." He turned to her. "I'm sorry about ruining our day."

Smiling softly, she moved closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. "You didn't ruin anything."

He looked at her and smiled back before placing a kiss to the top of her head.

**Present Day**

His smile softly faded from his face as the memory ended. How he missed those days; the days when his life felt complete. Now, it just felt empty. Sighing, he walked away from the rink and went back towards the hotel. His feet led him to the server counter of the Coffee Shop for the second time since he and his friends had arrived at the hotel and ordered himself a hot chocolate.

"Here you go," the guy behind the counter said.

"How much?"

"3.50"

Troy handed him a five. "Keep the change." As he turned to leave, he bumped into someone, spilling part of his hot drink on the other person. "Shit! I am so sorry."

"It's fine."

It was her. He had bumped into the girl from before…again. Noticing she was trying to rid her shirt of the burning liquid, he grabbed a few napkins and began trying to help.

"I guess I need to watch where I'm going more often, huh?"

She looked up and her lips spread into a small smile upon realization that she had seen him before. "I guess you do," she said with a nod. "But at least you're talking to me now instead of staring."

He chuckled. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to zone out that time." He grabbed more napkins. "But then again, you kinda just left without saying anything."

"You were creeping me out. What else was I supposed do?"

"Try and snap me out of it."

"I did, but you just stood there."

"Alright, alright, you're forgiven."

"I should be after what you did to my shirt."

"It was an accident, I swear."

Giggling, she shook her head. The corner of his mouth uplifted at the sound. He hadn't heard anything that beautiful since…no, he couldn't think of her now. It wouldn't be right.

"I should go and change out of this."

"That would be wise."

Glancing up, she smiled at him. "Thanks for at least trying to salvage it."

He shrugged. "You're welcome."

"See you around."

He nodded and watched her walk away before realizing—"Wait, I never got your name."

She turned around, a smile on her face. "If we were fated to meet, then we'll bump into each other again and then, only then, will I give you my name." She then raced out of the café and towards the elevators.

He stared at the entrance, a grin on his face. He hoped that they would meet again.

-

-

"Where were you this morning?" Chad asked as they prepared to head down to the bottom of the hill they were on.

"I decided to get up early and just walk around."

"Find anything interesting?" Zeke asked.

"I found out they have an ice skating rink."

"That's not interesting. That's just boring."

"To you maybe…but not to me."

"I sense the 'sentimental value' speech coming on," Chad said.

"Shut up."

"You know I'm right. Every time you find something 'interesting,' it usually means that it has a place in your memory of Lacey."

"That's not always true."

"Yes it is, and you know it."

"Fine, then. I found something else that was interesting."

"What?"

"I bumped into that girl again."

"Seriously?" both Chad and Zeke asked.

"Yeah."

"Did you get a name this time?" Zeke asked.

"No, unfortunately."

"And why not?"

"She wouldn't give it to me. She said that if we were meant to meet, then we'll bump into each other again and then she'll give me her name."

"Wow."

Chad shook his head. "Doesn't sound like she's worth the trouble."

"Why do you say that?" Troy asked, curious as to what his best friend meant.

"Because, face it, we're leaving in like what, four days, there's no guarantee that you'll see her again before that. It's not worth the trouble."

"Chad, you're such a pessimist," Zeke commented before looking at Troy. "Don't listen to him. You'll see her again."

Troy nodded. "I know," he said with a wide grin on his face.

"Okay, enough talk, let's go." Chad moved his goggles over his eyes and started down the hill.

Shaking his head, Zeke repeated the same steps, along with Troy, and followed suit. It only took seconds to get from the top to the bottom, but to the boys, it felt like minutes of exhilaration. When they reached the bottom, they slipped their feet from the straps of the board and begun walking back to the hotel.

"Okay," Chad started, "say you do meet this girl again and you find out her name, then what?"

Troy shrugged. "I don't know. I'll probably ask her where she lives and all that jazz."

"And don't forget to find out where you've seen her before," Zeke added.

"But after all of that? Are you just gonna go back to moping around and thinking about Lacey, or are you gonna give this girl a try?"

"Wait. Wait. Hold on. You think I want to date her?"

"Well, yeah."

"Chad…I'm not ready to date anyone just yet."

"So then what's the point of dragging this girl into your life?"

"Just to be friends, that's all."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"I'm serious. I mean, sure she's pretty and all, but I'm not ready for a girlfriend."

"Well, maybe you should let her know that the next time you see her."

"Chad, will you stop being such a fucking pessimist," Zeke said, shaking his head. "You're negativity is bothering me."

"Sorry if I'm trying to be real."

"Wow, there's something I never thought I'd see from you," Troy said with a grin. "A serious Chad is one that I thought I would have to wait until pigs flew to see."

Chad gave his best friend one big shove, pushing him to the ground. Troy stared up in shock as Chad doubled over and begun to laugh. Gathering a large amount of snow in his hand, Troy threw it at him, shutting him up.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that Bolton."

"You gotta catch me first." Troy shot up and ran as Chad chased after him, stopping every few seconds to grab more snow.

Zeke ran behind them to make sure no one got hurt. At one point in time, Zeke had lost sight of the two and had to really run to catch up. When he did find them, he chuckled at the sight. Troy had Chad in a headlock, both on the ground, snow covering their clothing.

"Say it!"

"No."

"_Say it_!"

"Fine! Just…let me go." Troy slowly eased up on Chad. When his grip was loose enough, Chad pushed him back and ran. "Never!"

Troy stared, his mouth agape before he stood up and dusted the snow off of him. "Bastard," he mumbled.

"You should have known he was gonna pull that shit," Zeke said.

He sighed. "Yeah. Remind me to never ease up on him, no matter how badly he wants me to."

"Will do." Zeke laughed at the frustrated look on Troy's face and clapped him on the back. "Come on. Let's go find the idiot before he makes a fool of himself."

Nodding, Troy followed Zeke inside the hotel to find Chad. When they did, they found him talking to a girl who didn't look quite interested in him.

"Hey, isn't that the friend?" Zeke said.

"Huh?"

"You know the girl that was with your mystery girl yesterday."

"Oh. Yeah, I think it is."

"No wonder why Chad's talking to her."

Troy chuckled. "If looks could kill, Chad would be dead right now cause she doesn't seem to want him there."

Zeke nodded. "You think we should save her from Captain Ego?"

"Yeah."

The two walked up to the female and their best friend, catching Chad's attention. The bushy haired guy smiled and nodded at his friends in acknowledgement.

"I was wondering what was keeping you two."

"We were taking our time, but I guess you've been busy," Zeke said, referring to the girl beside him.

"Yeah. Guys this is…" He stopped, trying to remember what her name was. "I'm sorry I don't remember your name," he said to the girl who sneered back at him.

"That's because I never gave it to you."

"You didn't? I could have sworn you did."

Troy laughed out loud. "Daydreaming again, Chad?"

"Fuck off, Bolton."

Shaking his head, Troy turned to the female. "We're sorry about our friend here. Once he sees a pretty girl, he has a one track mind."

Chad nodded, his large curls shaking with it. "It is true."

The guys could already see her attitude changing from that one compliment. "Well…I guess I could give you a chance."

"Really?" She nodded. "Then how about dinner tonight. Say eight?"

"Okay." She said with a smile.

"So, shall I pick you up or do you want to meet me there?"

"Um…I'll meet you."

"Then I'll see you tonight…"

"Taylor."

Chad grinned. "Taylor."

"See you tonight." As she begun to walk away, Troy stopped her, walking in front of her. "Yes."

"I have a question to ask you about your friend."

"My friend?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, what about her?"

"What's her name? She never…" She gasped and he stopped mid-sentence. "What?"

"So _you're_ the guy she told me about." Her eyes swept over him. "Wow, she wasn't kidding. You are hot."

He blushed slightly. "Um…thanks? So are you gonna give me her name or…?"

"Not."

"What? Why?"

"Cause she told me not to."

"But…can't you just tell me? She doesn't have to know."

"Nope. Sorry." She grinned and walked past him, continuing on her way.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. Frustrated at the girl for not telling him her name, frustrated at her friend for refusing to give that information, and, more so, frustrated at himself for finding her name so damn important. Why couldn't he just let it go? Why couldn't he just forget all about her and continue to go through the next four days with his friends? He didn't want to, that's why…and that's what made it so fucking frustrating.


	4. Chapter 4

**Pieces**

_by: LunarEclipse360_

**A/N: so...I'm sorry for taking so long with this update. I kinda ran into a very large wall with this chapter. I could not, for the life of me, figure out how I wanted it. When I finally did get myself over that wall (which was on Christmas Eve and I wanted to finish this as a Christmas present to you all), I found myself in excruciating pain and unable to think correctly, making my Christmas not a very enjoyable one. So, sorry for being late. I hope you all had a nice Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate, and I hope you all have a wonderful New Year.**

_Cast_

_Zac Efron: Troy Bolton_

_Vanessa Hudgens: Gabriella Montez_

_Kay Panabaker: Lacey Thomas 12-15_

_Bethany Joy Galeotti: 16-17_

Chapter 4

It couldn't possibly end this way.

Sitting in the Coffee Shop, Troy stared at the cup in his hands. He had searched high and low for the mysterious brunette, hoping to finally get her name, but his search was futile. Not once had he found her or even caught a glimpse of her. If it wasn't for the fact that Chad saw Taylor almost every day, he would have thought that the girl didn't exist. Maybe she didn't exist. Maybe she and Taylor weren't actually friends. Maybe this whole thing was his mind playing tricks on him. No, that couldn't be true. Chad and Zeke had seen her so she's not a figment of his imagination, she's just really good at staying out of sight.

"Can I get you anything else?" asked a waitress.

"Um…" He checked to see if there was anything left in his cup. Finding it empty, he nodded and looked up at her. "Another hot chocolate, please."

"Sure." She took the empty cup from him and walked away.

His eyes glanced around the partially empty café and he ran a hand through his hair, just as his phone began to ring. Pulling it out, he looked at the caller ID and watched his mother's face flash across the screen.

"Hey, Ma."

"_Hi, sweetheart. Having fun?"_

"Uh…pretty much, yeah."

"_Have you met anyone new?"_

"Mom…"

"_What? I just wanna know."_

"No, I haven't met anyone new."

He couldn't possibly tell his mother about the brunette. He didn't even know the girl's name. That fact wouldn't go over well with Lucille. She would make a fuss and ask him why he hadn't gotten her name when they first bumped into each other. He wasn't interested in explaining the entire situation to his mother.

"_Aww. That's too bad."_

He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

"Here's your hot chocolate," the waitress said, placing it in front of him.

"Thank you."

"_Ooo. Who was that?"_

"Just the waitress, Mom," he mumbled as he brought the cup to his lips.

"_Oh."_ He chuckled at her loss of enthusiasm. _"So how are the guys?"_

"They're fine. Chad met a girl."

"_What's her name?"_

"Taylor."

"_Is she nice?"_

"Yeah, but she knows how to keep Chad in check."

"_Ooo. I like her already."_ He laughed silently. _"How come Chad can meet a girl, but you can't?"_

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "Because I'm not looking for one, Ma, and you know that."

"_I know, but it would be nice for you to bring home a girl once in a while."_

Troy shook his head as his mother continued to rant about how she wished he would find himself a nice girl. Out the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone familiar and he turned his head. Time seemed to slow as the brunette and her best friend walked past the entrance of the café, deep in conversation.

"Ma, I gotta go."

He didn't give his mother time to question anything, he just closed his phone and placed ten dollar bill on the table, not bothering to wait for his change. He was unable to get out as fast as he wanted due to a group of teenagers walking in. He had to wait until they were all inside before he could leave. His head turned in the direction where he saw her head to and saw her standing in front of the elevators just as the door opened. He ran in her direction, but the multitude of people passing by him prevented him from moving faster. By time he reached the elevators, she was gone and there was no way to tell what floor she was getting off at because of the fact that other people had gotten on with her.

"Shit."

He was ready to pull out his hair. He had been so close to finally finding out who she was, but she slipped right through his fingers. Sighing, he went back to the Coffee Shop, realizing he had left his drink there. Walking in, he saw the waitress collecting the money he had left. Her head snapped up and she smiled, handing him his cup.

"I was wondering if you were coming back," she said.

"Yeah. I didn't realize that I left this." He took the cup from her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Do you want your change?"

"Nah, you keep it."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

He watched as she went back to work before heading for the door, wondering where his best friends were. It didn't take him long to find them. He thought of two places where they could be, the slopes or the room. He chose the room first and was pleasantly surprised to find them there.

"Hey, guys," he said, walking through the door.

"Hey," Chad said without taking his eyes off the television.

"We've been wondering where you went," Zeke said.

"I just went down to the café."

"Waiting for her?"

"Yeah." He took a seat on the recliner. "And I almost had her."

"What happened?"

"She was moving too fast. I saw her and Taylor walking towards the elevator, but I couldn't reach her in time before the doors closed."

"That sucks."

"Yeah. I'm starting to think that Chad was right."

"What?"

"Yes! Score one for the Chad-meister."

Zeke rolled his eyes at Chad's childishness. "What happened to you knowing you were going to see her again?"

"Zeke, think about it. We're leaving tomorrow morning and unless by some miracle, she comes knocking at that door, there's no way I'll see her before then."

"Well, she is going to that New Year's party tonight," Chad said.

"How do you know?"

"Taylor told me."

"Well," Zeke started, "there you go. You can go to the party tonight and finally be able to get her name."

Troy nodded. This was a breakthrough. If she was going to be there, then he was sure he would finally get her name.

-

-

Where was she?

Troy looked around the crowded room, looking for any sign of the brunette. He was starting to get restless. It was close to midnight and she still hadn't made an appearance. Spotting Zeke, he crossed through the throngs of people to reach him.

"Where is she?"

"I'm sure she'll be here."

"If she were coming, she would have been here by now."

"Chad said she would. Taylor said she would. Just be patient."

He sighed. "I'll never learn her name."

"Why are you being like Chad now? Why are you being so pessimistic?"

"I don't know."

"Just give her time. She'll be here." Troy nodded and began to glance around the room. "Man, I've never seen you so obsessed with learning a girl's name before."

"I'm not obsessed, just…curious."

"Uh-huh. Does this mean you're finally moving on from Lacey?"

His demeanor changed. "I'll never move on from Lacey."

"You don't mean that."

"I do. She was the only girl for me."

"Troy…"

He tuned out his best friend when a familiar face stepped through the door. Without saying anything to Zeke, Troy made his way towards her. She hadn't noticed him yet, her attention on the spectacular decorations. When he finally caught her attention, she smiled and walked towards him, meeting him half way.

"Didn't think I'd see you again," he said.

"Not very optimistic, are you?"

"I am, I was just…" He shook his head. "So are you gonna tell me your name, even though we didn't run into each other?"

"Depends. Are you gonna give me yours?"

He chuckled and held out his hand. "Troy."

She took it. "Gabriella."

_Gabriella_. He finally knew her name…and it was perfect for her.

"Okay, everyone, it's that time. Time to countdown to the New Year," the D.J. yelled over the microphone, eliciting a loud response from the crowd.

"Do you wanna go somewhere more quiet?" he asked, loudly, making sure she heard him over the music.

She nodded. "Yeah. I didn't realize it would be this noisy."

He motioned for her to follow and led her towards the back door. Walking out into the cold evening air, she shivered slightly and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Maybe inside was better. It's freezing out here."

"Here." He slipped off his blazer and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you."

"No problem."

It was quiet between them. They'd finally learned each other's names, but now they couldn't hold a decent conversation. _Happy New Year_ rang through the air as the people inside celebrated the beginning of a brand new year. Troy glanced at the girl beside him.

"You wanna go ice skating?"

"Sure."

He smiled. "Ladies first."

She walked down the stairs leading to the ground below and he followed close behind. They walked in a comfortable silence, not one like before, until reaching the skating rink.

"Just to give you a heads up, I'm not a great skater."

"Don't worry, neither am I."

After putting on their skates, they carefully made their way to the entrance of the rink and stepped onto the ice. Like he had when he went skating with Lacey, Troy clung to the wall, afraid to let go. He did not want a repeat of before.

_Why did I suggest this?_

"Are you okay?"

"Not really."

She giggled. "The ice isn't going to hurt you."

"I've had a bad experience with ice skating."

"So why did you suggest it?"

"I have no idea."

"Here." She held out her hand.

He took her hand and pushed away from the wall. She tried hard to hold him up without resulting in her own slip on the ice. Luckily, neither fell. Gaining his balance, Troy let out a sigh in relief before holding his arm out to her. Smiling, she locked her arm with his and they started around the rink.

"So how much longer are you here for?" he asked.

"Three more days. You?"

"I leave in the morning."

She frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"That doesn't give us much time to get to know each other, huh?"

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you would have just given me your name in the first place."

She smiled. "Yeah, but then where's the fun in that?"

Chuckling, he shook his head. "I'm guessing this isn't a onetime thing."

"Nope. I basically did the same thing with Taylor, except I gave her a twice meeting instead of a thrice."

"Wasn't she lucky."

"_She_ didn't bump into me the first time we met and then stared like an idiot."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know. I know, and you're forgiven."

"I better be."

"You ruined my shirt, let's not forget that."

"Hey! I said I was sorry."

She laughed. "I'm kidding. No need to get worked up for nothing."

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "You know, I didn't actually think you'd tell me your name."

"Why not?"

"Because you said that if we 'bumped' into each other again, you'd give me your name, but we didn't do that. We kinda just saw each other."

"That's true, but I figured I'd tortured you enough."

"Tortured me? What makes you think I was tortured?"

"Your friend Chad told Taylor and she told me."

"I'll kill him," he mumbled and she laughed.

"I'm sure he didn't mean to tell her."

"I don't care. I'm still killing him."

"Don't kill him. You'll regret it later."

He sighed. "Fine, I won't kill him, but I will hurt him."

Laughing, she squeezed his arm. "That's a little better."

Finding her laugh contagious, he followed suit, unable to control himself. Silence passed over them once more as they continued to slowly make their way around the rink. Troy glanced at the five other people that occupied the ice. He wondered if they had escaped the noise of the party like they had or did they find the rink better when there was hardly anyone there.

"Yo, Troy!" His head spun towards the exit and spotted his best friends waving to get his attention. "Come on, let's go. We gotta get up early tomorrow," Chad said.

Sighing, he turned to the brunette in front of him. "Well, this was nice while it lasted."

She smiled. "It was."

"Um…maybe we can stay in touch."

"Yeah, sure."

After trading numbers, they bid each other 'goodbye' and Troy slowly made his way off the rink. He ignored the grins on his friends' faces as he took off his skates and returned them to the counter.

"Did you have fun?" Zeke asked with a smug grin on his face.

"Oh, shut up."

Troy walked away from them while Chad and Zeke smirked behind his back, following close behind.

"So did you find out where you know her from?" Chad asked.

"No, and I would have if you hadn't interrupted."

"You know," Zeke started, looking back at the girl who skated in circles around the rink, "looking at her now, she does look kinda familiar. I feel like I've seen her before."

"At least now I'm not the only one."

"Chad don't you think so, too?"

Turning around, Chad squinted to get a good look at the brunette. "Actually, yeah I do. Weird."

Troy glanced back at Gabriella and wondered why did she look familiar to him and his best friends. It was odd for all three of them to know her from somewhere, but didn't know where exactly. It made no sense. He had every right to go back and ask her, but he knew he needed his sleep since he was driving for the first hour and a half of their journey back home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Pieces**

_by: LunarEclipse360_

**A/N: so, no, I'm not dead...yet...I've just been having a huge mental block that kept me from getting anything done(stories, my youtube series, videos, etc.), so I apologize for keeping you waiting. I'm not exactly proud of this chapter cause I wrote it just to write it. I was tired of not having anything for you guys to read. Usually I start new stories when I'm having a bad block, but that wasn't working this time. I'm working on Chapter 17 of _At The Beginning_ and hopefully I will have that out along with another chapter of _Pieces_ by my birthday in two weeks.**

Chapter 5

_His lips were fixed into a smile as his ocean blue eyes stared at the girl beside him. She was saying something, but he, for the life of him, couldn't tell you what. He knew she would catch on that he wasn't listening, but he couldn't help himself. She was beautiful and he couldn't believe she was his. Her light brown eyes finally looked over to him and she grinned._

"_Are you even listening?"_

_He opened his mouth to say 'yes,' but different words found their way out. "I can't lie to you. No, I wasn't, but I have a pretty good reason why I wasn't."_

"_And that would be?"_

"_You're beauty is mesmerizing."_

_Lifting an eye brow, she stared at him before laughing. "That was so cheesy."_

"_I know, but it's the truth."_

_She gave him a genuine smile before leaning over and pressing her lips to his. "I love you."_

"_I love you, too."_

"Mr. Bolton!"

Troy was pulled from his memory by a loud shrill voice. His eyes turned to his Sociology professor and noticed that both she and the entire class was staring at him. Blushing slightly, he sat upright in his seat and cleared his throat.

"S-Sorry."

"I hope you were thinking of the answer to my question."

"Question?"

"Yes, the one that I just asked."

"I-I didn't hear the question."

"I thought so. Please, Mr. Bolton, try and pay attention."

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

When her attention was averted elsewhere, Troy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew for a fact he wouldn't be leaving this room without getting a few words out of Professor Martin. Turning his eyes towards the short woman at the front of the class, he tried hard to pay attention, but try as he might, his mind continued to slip back to Lacey.

"_Do you really think I'm beautiful?" she asked as they walked towards her house._

"_Of course I do."_

"_Well, what about me do you think is beautiful?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I _mean_ that physical beauty can't be the only thing you like about me."_

"_That's just a perk, Lace. Your personality, in itself, is beautiful."_

"_Good answer."_

_He looked at her. "Good answer? What am I being quizzed or something?"_

"_Or something," she said with a laugh._

"_You're evil. You know that right?"_

"_Yeah, I know."_

Troy brought himself out of the memory long enough to notice that students were leaving and Professor Martin was staring at him. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and grabbed his things. He made his way towards her and stopped when he was at her desk.

"You know, Mr. Bolton, if you don't pay attention in my class, you will not learn anything."

"I know."

"Good, cause it's your money that's paying for your time. You can waste my time all you want, but I'm still being paid whether you pass this class or not." He nodded. "Though I'd rather not see a student fail because of your inability to focus."

"Professor, I can assure you that I do not do this often."

"I hope so. You may go, Mr. Bolton."

He nodded and turned to walk away. He noticed movement in the corner of his eye, but just deduced it to being a student with a question.

"Yes, Ms. Montez," he heard his professor say before walking out the room.

-

-

The University of Albuquerque campus was bustling with student life. Some were there to sell baked goods for a fundraising event, others were hanging out with friends while a select few were trying to get to class. Troy watched it all from his spot beneath one of the many trees that stood as a way to block out the ever-present sun. Though he seemed to be people watching, he really was not there at all. Leaning his head against the trunk of the tree, he closed his eyes and willed himself to slip back into another memory. It, however, did not go far.

"Hey, buddy," Chad said as he and Zeke plopped down next to him.

"Go. Away."

"Why would we do that?" Zeke asked.

"Because…I want to be alone."

"Well, too fucking bad. We're here and we're not leaving." Chad munched, loudly, on an apple and Troy opened one eye to glare at him.

"Do you have to chew so loud?"

"Yes."

"So how was your day today?" Zeke asked with a wide smile.

Troy sighed and opened his other eye. "I zoned off in Sociology and got chewed out by my professor."

"What were you thinking about that had you off in another world?"

"Lacey. Who else?"

Chad shook his head. "Damn it, Troy. What did we tell you?"

"I'm trying, alright. I'm trying not to think about her, but it's hard when I know her birthday is in two weeks."

"Speaking of which. Are you going to visit her this year?"

His eyes stared ahead, contemplating the answer. Finally, he shook his head and looked at Zeke. "No."

"But you didn't visit her last year? Come to think of it, you haven't been to her grave since the accident."

"It's too fresh in my mind. I can't do it."

"You know it'll be harder for you to move on if you don't give yourself some sense of closure?" Chad asked, truly concerned for his best friend.

"I know. C-can we stop talking about this, please?"

"Yeah, sure." Chad took another bite out of his apple as he thought of something to talk about. "So, have you called her, yet?"

"Called who?"

"You know who." Troy gave him a look that said 'no, I really don't know'. "Gabriella."

His eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know." Leaning his head to the side, he eyed his best friend. "Why haven't you called Taylor?"

Chad choked on the piece of fruit in his mouth. When he finally got it down his throat, he looked at Troy. "How did you know?"

He grinned. "I didn't, but thanks for letting me know."

"Fuck."

Zeke laughed. "You fell right into that one."

"Shut up, Zeke."

The darker man narrowed his eyes. "No, and I wish you would stop telling me to."

Sighing, Troy shook his head. He knew where this was going. As Chad and Zeke argued, he stood and left them to have their shouting match. Looking back at them, he didn't notice the person coming towards him until he ran right into her. Turning his head, he half-expected it to be the beautiful brunette, but he knew he was just kidding himself. To his surprise, it turned out to be her best friend.

"Taylor?"

She smiled. "Hi, Troy."

He was close to asking her what she was doing there, but the girl's eye line had moved to something behind her. He watched as her smile slipped off her face and her dark eyes narrow. He hoped Chad had a speech in order for whenever he would have to be questioned by the girl about why he never called.

"Chad!" she yelled before stepping around Troy and marching over to his best friend.

Chad had paled more than his skin color should have allowed when he laid eyes on the girl he said he would call but never did.

"Taylor, h-hi. W-what are you doing here?"

"I go here. What are you doing here?"

"I also," He swallowed the lump in his throat, "go here."

"Really?" He nodded and she smiled an almost sadistic smile. "Then you have all the time in the world to explain to me why _you didn't call_!"

"A-actually, I have class so we'll have to talk about this another day. Bye." He ran off, leaving the three to stare after him.

Taylor turned to Troy. "Tell Chad that the next time I see him, there will be hell to pay."

He nodded. "Will do."

Troy watched her go. If Taylor attended this school, then was it possible for Gabriella to also be a student here. He would have seen her, wouldn't he? Maybe that was why she looked so familiar. No, that wasn't possible. The campus consisted of thousands of students. There was no way he would have seen her here. Sighing, he shook his head. This was going to be on his mind all day.

-

-

With his back against the wall, Troy watched people walk by as he waited for his Classical professor to arrive. There were a few students that were also waiting, but he didn't know which ones were in his class or the Philosophy class across the hall. Minutes later, an older male walked up to the door Troy had situated himself next to and unlocked it. Troy quickly rose to his feet and went inside. He took a seat and paid no attention to the students around him. His thoughts were still on the possibility that Gabriella was somewhere on campus.

He laughed inwardly on how his mind had changed from thinking about Lacey earlier in the day to thinking about Gabriella. Luck was on his side though. He wasn't too far gone from his surroundings so he was able to hear when his professor called his name.

"Troy Bolton."

"Here."

The professor nodded and continued to call out attendance, taking no notice of the faraway look in Troy's eyes. The shaggy haired boy let his thoughts take over, ignoring everything that was being said.

"Gabriella Montez."

Troy's head shot up at the name. It couldn't be her, could it? He hadn't gotten her last name, so he couldn't be so sure.

"Here."

He glanced to his left and his heart stopped. There, two rows behind him, was the brunette he'd met only three and a half weeks ago. She took no notice of him, but he knew she knew he was there. He had to speak with her, but he had to wait an hour and fifteen minutes to do so.

Minutes ticked by and Troy was growing impatient. He took quick glances behind him to see if maybe she had noticed him, but not once had she turned to him. He wasn't sure if she was angry at him for not calling or if she was really focused with what the professor was saying. He hoped it was the latter. When the class finally ended, he grabbed his things and walked over to her.

"Hey," he said, smiling cautiously.

"Well, if it isn't 'I say I'll call, but I really won't'."

Damn. She was mad. "If I recall correctly, you had my number, too, so you could have called if you wanted to."

She blushed slightly and he knew he caught her. "Yeah, well…you really didn't expect me to be the first one to call?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "No, I, uh, I guess not." Turning his eyes to her, he noticed the shy disposition she was showing. He didn't remember her being this shy. "How about I make it up to you? Dinner?"

She bit her lip before nodding and smiled. "Sure."

Without another word to each other, they left the classroom. Troy knew he would have to explain why he hadn't called, but for the moment, that was the last thing on his mind.

**A/N: for all who don't know, in college, your teachers are not called Mr. or Ms. or Mrs., they are called Professor because in order to teach in college(or university) you must have a Ph.D. This, however, does not include community college, but you do have to have a Masters degree in order to teach at one. I'm not sure if this applies outside the U.S., so do not quote me if you do not live in the States.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Pieces**

_by: LunarEclipse360_

**A/N: I would have had this up yesterday, when it was my birthday as a gift to you, but I had to wait until my beta got back to me with any changes. I do have a banner for this story if anyone wants to take a look. Also, has anyone else notice that there hasn't been any advertisements for the BandSlam DVD release(which comes out Tuesday)? Summit is completely screwing the movie over, just like they did when it came out last year.**

Chapter 6

An awkward silence loomed over the two eighteen year olds as they ate. Neither knew what to say for some odd reason. This didn't happen when they were at the ski lodge, so why now? They guessed it was because they didn't think they would see each other again. Of course fate has a twisted sense of humor. Troy looked up from his plate and glanced at the girl across from him. He wondered what she was thinking about.

"So," she said and looked up, "are you gonna tell me why you didn't call?"

"Depends," he answered with a shrug. "Are you gonna tell _me_ why you didn't call?"

She grinned. "Touché." Her eyes reverted back to her food. "If you must know, I'm…I'm not much of a social person. I can warm up to someone in person, but on the phone…I don't know what to say. I figure that if someone calls me, then they're the ones that will take control of the conversation and I won't have to contribute much, but if I call…then I would have to be the one talking more."

Tilting his head, Troy looked closely at the girl in front of him. She didn't seem like the type of person that couldn't hold her own in a conversation, but she was. Her eyes lifted, connecting with his, and she raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing," he said, returning his head to its original position.

"So…"

"Well…I wanted to, but I…to be honest, I don't know why I didn't." A frown set itself upon her lips and she looked down. He immediately knew what that look was. Lacey had given him that same look a couple of times when they were dating. "It's not what you think, though." She looked up at him. "I guess you could say that…I didn't exactly know what I would say if I did call you."

"Why didn't you just say that instead of you 'didn't know why'?"

He shrugged. "I…"

She sighed and shook her head. "If you didn't want to get to know me, you should have just said that instead of trying to make things up."

"I'm not."

"Whatever." She stood and he followed, grabbing her wrist.

"Gabriella, I'm not lying to you about anything. I'm not making anything up. I really didn't know what I would say if I called you. Okay? I'm normally not like this, but…I've been going through something and it's made me a little off when it comes to forming new friendships."

She tilted her head to the side and smiled wryly. "You wanna be friends with me?"

"Well…yeah, I mean, you seem like a really cool person."

She sighed. "I guess since we're going to have to see each other for the rest of this semester, then it would be better if we were on speaking terms."

His lips turned upward. "That would be better." He looked down at the half eaten plates of food on the table. "Do you wanna finish eating or…?"

"I had a big lunch so I'm not exactly that hungry."

He nodded and took the two plates, emptying them into the trash can. Since they were both poor college students, they chose to eat at the school's cafeteria. Meal cards were easier to pay with than credit cards.

"So do you live on campus?" he asked as they made their way out of the cafeteria.

She shook her head. "No. I live with my Mom."

"So, then, you live here…in Albuquerque?"

"Yeah. I've lived here for a little over a year."

"Maybe that's why I think I've seen you before. What school did you go to? Maybe I've seen you at an away game."

"Away game?"

"I was on the basketball team in high school."

"I've never been to a basketball game; away or at home."

"Really?" She nodded. "You sure?"

She laughed. "I think I would know if I'd gone."

"Then why do I feel like I've seen you before?"

"Because you have."

"Where?"

She stopped walking and turned to him. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"I guessed you wouldn't. You were pretty much in your own world."

"What do you mean?"

Shrugging, she continued to walk, hugging her jacket closer to her body to protect herself from the dropping desert temperature. "You were always…I don't know, _sad_. It was like someone ripped your heart out."

He stopped. "You mean…you went to high school with me?"

She turned and nodded. "Yeah. I came in during the second half of senior year. I, technically, didn't need to go since I had earned enough credits to graduate from my previous high school, but I didn't want to stay at home and be bored."

"But…but when did we meet?"

"We didn't actually meet. I lent you a pen once ."

Troy thought back and remembered that day as if it had happened yesterday.

"_Shit," he cursed silently as he tried to produce an ink mark from his pen._

_He had lent his back up pen to Chad last period and forgot to get it back. Running a hand through his hair, he threw the pen to the floor and leant back in his chair. Nothing seemed to be going right for him anymore. Staring at the desk, he didn't realize he was being watched until a pen descended upon the closed notebook that sat in front of him. He looked up and came face to face with a girl._

"_Here. You can use mine."_

"_T-thanks."_

_She nodded and smiled before retaking her seat two rows in front of him. He picked up the pen and readied himself for an hour worth of note taking._

_When the class ended, he stood and walked over to the girl who let him borrow her pen._

"_Here's your pen back."_

_She turned and smiled. "You keep it. You never know when you might need an extra pen," she said before leaving the classroom._

"That was you?"

"I'm surprised you didn't recognize me."

"You look…different."

"Well, I did cut and darken my hair."

He noticed the difference in hair color, remembering that it had been lighter back then. He also noticed the shortness of it. It wasn't as long as it had been.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew me from high school?"

"I wanted to see if you remembered me, but I guess that didn't work."

"I was, seriously, going mad trying to figure out where I knew you from and the entire time I had Physics with you."

"You also had English 1 with me last semester."

"I did?"

"Yep, but again, you seemed to be too far away in your head to notice anything else. I'm surprised you passed the class."

"Believe me, you're not the only one."

She laughed and noticed that they had reached the North gate of the campus. Her bus stop was a few blocks away and she didn't want to miss one.

"Well, I guess this is where we part."

"Where do you live?"

"Logan Street. I take the bus across town and walk a few blocks."

"I can give you a ride."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's no problem. I live like a few streets up from you."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Come on."

Nodding, she followed behind him to the student parking lot. He glanced backwards, making sure she was still there. Even though the University campus seemed like a safe place, one could never be too careful. Stopping at a dark green Hyundai Genesis, he unlocked it and opened the door of the coupe, letting her get in first.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He closed the door behind her before walking to the driver's side and getting in. "So what's your address?"

"210 Logan Street."

He nodded and started up the engine. It only took fifteen minutes to reach her house, a ride that would take thirty minutes by bus.

"Thanks for the ride, Troy. I really appreciated it."

"No problem. If you ever need a ride to school, feel free to call me. Just make sure it's the night before. "

"Don't feel like answering your phone early in the morning?"

"That and I'm not sure what your schedule is so I might already be in class when you need a ride."

She nodded. "I'll keep that in mind." Gathering up her bag, she opened the door and turned to him. "I'll see you on Wednesday?"

"Yeah, unless we have another class together that we don't know about yet."

"True. Bye."

"Bye."

He watched her climb out of his car and walk up the pathway to her home. She turned and waved once more before opening her front door and walking inside. Once Troy knew she was safe inside, he backed out of her driveway and went home.


End file.
